


Like a Charm

by Falahime



Series: I Can't Think Up A Clever Name for Haikyu Fics Right Now [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Time Skip, they're both dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:33:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29023518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Falahime/pseuds/Falahime
Summary: “I know I’m charming,” Kuroo began, ignoring Kenma’s quick snort, “but I’m seriously thinking about wearing a ring. Something that says, ‘Lighthearted, business-as-usual flirting is okay. Look but don’t touch.’”“That’s what a ring says to you?” Kenma asked, his tone too disinterested.“Well, it won’t dissuade the more persistent ones,” Kuroo said slowly, listening for a stutter on the controller buttons.“Then what’s the point.” It was a statement, not a question.“Maybe it would be just enough to keep some of these carnivorous businesswomen from pinching my butt?” Kuroo ventured.“That didn’t happen,” Kenma said a little too quickly.“I didn’t make it up! I swear it actually happened!” Kuroo laughed. “C’mon, Kenma.” Kuroo wiggled his ass a little, more comically than suggestively. “Look at it and tell me you wouldn’t want to pinch it.” At Kenma’s emphatic ignoring, he tried another waggle. “Kenmaaa!”“No,” Kenma said petulantly.“No, you won’t look at it or no you wouldn’t pinch it?”“Both.”“Really?”Kenma gave a little exasperated sigh. “I’ve known you how long and have I pinched it yet?”
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: I Can't Think Up A Clever Name for Haikyu Fics Right Now [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2000623
Comments: 37
Kudos: 354
Collections: Recommended KuroKen Fics





	1. Chapter 1

“All done?” Kuroo asked hopefully as Kenma wandered into the living room. At his small nod, “Stream go well?”

Kenma shrugged, sitting on the couch. “As well as it can, I guess?”

“Good.” Kuroo flopped over as soon as Kenma sat, hugging him around the middle and using his lap as a pillow.

“If you’re tired you should just go to bed,” Kenma said in his usual quiet monotone, picking up his controller.

“Just let me recharge,” Kuroo said, already sounding sleepy. He took a deep breath and let it out in a contented sigh.

“Did you just sniff me?” Kenma asked, not looking away from his game.

“Nooo?” Kuroo lied. At Kenma’s puff of a laugh, Kuroo scowled, despite knowing that Kenma wouldn’t look down to see it. “Hey, cut me some slack. I said I need to recharge. It’s been a whole week.”

“It has,” Kenma agreed, sounding unaffected. After a moment of mostly-quiet, filled only by the rapid clicking of the buttons on Kenma’s controller, he asked, “Rough week?”

“Mmm,” Kuroo hummed in confirmation. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I really kicked some ass this week—made a lot of progress, the end of my big project is finally in sight. Well, not the _end_ , since it’ll be more like the beginning, but the...finally closing the fucking deal, I guess.” He groan-sighed.

“Isn’t that good?” Kenma asked quietly, not looking down, fingers still rapidly clicking away. “Why do you sound so...not-good about it?”

Kuroo huffed a laugh against Kenma’s stomach. Or his hoodie, anyway. Though theoretically his stomach had to be under there somewhere. For a moment Kuroo had the insane thought of reaching underneath those layers of clothing and feeling for himself. 

“I know I’m charming,” Kuroo began, ignoring Kenma’s quick snort, “but I’m seriously thinking about wearing a ring. Something that says, ‘Lighthearted, business-as-usual flirting is okay. Look but don’t touch.’”

The momentary twitch in Kenma’s thigh currently acting as a pillow for Kuroo’s head was telling.

“That’s what a ring says to you?” Kenma asked, his tone too disinterested.

“Well, it won’t dissuade the more persistent ones,” Kuroo said slowly, feeling for that telltale twitch of muscle under his cheek or listening for a stutter on the controller buttons. 

“Then what’s the point.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Maybe it would be just enough to keep some of these carnivorous businesswomen from pinching my butt?” Kuroo ventured.

“That didn’t happen,” Kenma said a little too quickly.

“It did too!” 

“There’s no way.” 

Kuroo opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) and thought he could see a little pinch between Kenma’s eyebrows. “I wouldn’t lie about this,” Kuroo insisted. “I mean, I know it’s a nice butt and I’d want to pinch it too, but that’s doesn’t mean it’s okay to just go and do it.” He glanced up, smirking in satisfaction at Kenma’s lips pressed in a thin line to keep his smile at bay. 

“I can’t believe you made up this whole elaborate story just trying to get me to look at your butt,” Kenma said, feigning disgust and focusing on the screen in front of him more intently than ever. 

“I didn’t make it up! I swear it actually happened!” Kuroo laughed. “C’mon, Kenma.” Kuroo wiggled his ass a little, more comically than suggestively. “Look at it and tell me you wouldn’t want to pinch it.” At Kenma’s emphatic ignoring, he tried another waggle. “Kenmaaa!”

“No,” Kenma said petulantly.

“No, you won’t look at it or no you wouldn’t pinch it?”

“Both.”

“Really?”

Kenma gave a little exasperated sigh. “I’ve known you how long and have I pinched it yet?”

“Truuue,” Kuroo admitted. “I’d let you, though.”

“Gee, thanks,” Kenma said dryly, not sounding thankful at all.

“Just you.”

“Not Bokuto?” Kenma’s lips twitched in a brief almost-smile.

“Ah, well,” Kuroo laughed. “There’s not really any letting or not-letting with that guy. I mean, how do you keep a force of nature from pinching your butt? You don’t. You just clench your jaw and squinch your cheeks and hope it doesn’t bruise too badly.”

The thigh under Kuroo’s head jostled for a second with Kenma’s silent laughter. Mission accomplished. With a victorious smile, he indulged in burrowing his face into Kenma’s stomach (or hoodie-covered assumed belly area).

“Don’t—” Kenma giggled, crumpling forward slightly, then froze.

“Kenma~,” Kuroo said slyly. “Are you ticklish?” Kuroo knew that he was.

“No,” Kenma lied immediately.

The silence strung out between them, both of them holding their breath. Fingers still tapping robotically on his controller, Kenma tensed, waiting for Kuroo to pounce. For a too-enticing moment Kuroo thought about rucking up Kenma’s layers, running fingertips against those ticklish ribs, brushing his lips across the soft skin of Kenma’s belly, eliciting giggles that hopefully turned into...other sounds.

Instead, with a regretful lick of his lips, he pulled away, turning onto his back, looking up at Kenma from the vantage of his lap-pillow. This...was fine. Was enough. It had to be. It was probably more than he had any right to, Kuroo had to admit. Sometimes he was still kind of amazed that he got away with this much. Maybe it was because Kenma didn’t really have any other close friends so he didn’t know this wasn’t exactly normal?

Then again, thinking about the friends closest to them both (ahem: Shoyo, Bokuto) it was pretty easy to imagine either one of them having zero reservations about flopping into a guy’s lap. So maybe normal was relative.

Or maybe normal just didn’t exist in their social sphere.

Regardless, here he was, with his head resting in his best friend/roommate/business partner/childhood friend/former teammate/secret love of his life’s lap, looking up at his serious little face as he intently shot monsters or fought a boss or planted turnips or caught Pokémon or whatever the hell he was actually doing with all that click-click tap-tapping. Kenma sat kind of folded up so his right ankle was across his left knee, which meant if Kuroo turned his head slightly to the right he’d get a face full of Kenma’s foot. 

He was so far gone he didn’t even care. He’d always thought Kenma’s feet were unfairly adorable anyway. In fact, he was pretty sure his own right hand was wrapped around Kenma’s left ankle where they both dangled off the couch. 

“What’s that creepy smile for?” Kenma asked, face scrunched up in disgust.

Kuroo laughed in spite of himself. “Ah, just thinking about how proud I am of you.” 

“Gross.”

“Aw, c’mon!” Kuroo grinned. “Who would’ve ever thought my sweet, shy little antisocial introvert childhood friend would grow up to be a super famous internet personality?” He sniffed dramatically, faking a tearful warble. “My baby Kenma’s all grown up.” At his slip, he waited for Kenma to protest the word baby.

“Yeah, well, I don’t care if you do wear a fancy suit every day, you never grew up,” Kenma said instead. “Maybe you should try it.”

“Sounds boring.”

Kenma rolled his eyes. “Anyway. You used to be a shy introvert too,” he pointed out. “Maybe if you had stayed that way, you wouldn’t be getting your butt pinched. As if that ever actually happened.”

“I told you it 100% _did_ ,” Kuroo argued. “And you just don’t know what it’s like! If you were a real person and not just some virtual internet figment, trust me, you’d be getting your butt pinched too.”

“Even if I was a real person, I seriously doubt that.” Kenma didn’t quite disguise the fondness in his sigh. The corner of his mouth lifted in a barely-there smirk. “Or are you trying to say I have a cute butt?” His eyes even flickered for a quick glance down.

Kuroo licked his lips, feigning nervousness. “Mayyybeee?” He caught Kenma’s gaze and raised his eyebrows hopefully.

Kenma’s snorted laugh broke the impasse and he looked back at his game. “I hate you,” he mumbled, clearly amused.

“Well, that’s too bad, because I—” _love you_ “—so does that mean you aren’t gonna buy me a ring to fend off the gropey ladies?” Kuroo switched mid-sentence.

Thankfully, Kenma was either distracted enough or was simply too used to Kuroo’s erratic brain to care. “You were serious about that?” he asked with a tiny frown.

“Kenma, my _ass_ is on the line!” Kenma snorted back a laugh at Kuroo’s distress. “You got a better idea?”

“That really happened?” Kenma asked, still obviously skeptical.

“I told you a million times it totally did! Why would I even make that up?”

Kenma apparently ignored that. “You have money, why don’t you buy your own?”

“I want one from you,” Kuroo blurted before he thought better off it. 

Once again, the otherwise-silence was filled with button clicking, and Kuroo thought he might well and truly have fucked up this time. He racked his brain, thinking of some clever way to take it back, turn it into a joke, play it off—

“That’s kind of a heavy gift, isn’t it?” Kenma asked quietly. “I think...I think I would want it to mean something.”

Kuroo’s heart threatened to burst—though from sadness or happiness he didn’t even know. “That’s oddly sentimental, coming from you.” He tried to sound light, almost disinterested as he asked, “That mean you want to get married someday?”

“Not really,” Kenma said easily. Kuroo fought to keep his expression neutral and not like his heart just disintegrated. Then Kenma clarified, “But that doesn’t mean rings can’t mean something.” At Kuroo’s lack of a response, his eyes flickered down even as he asked, “You asleep?”

“No,” Kuroo replied, staring back up at him.

Once again, Kenma stared at his screen. “Then what? Why are you quiet? You’re never quiet.”

Kuroo huffed a laugh at that. “Nothing. You just surprised me, is all. That was, y’know. Kinda romantic.” He grinned.

Kenma’s lips twitched in an irritated frown and he scrunched up his nose a little in disgust. Or maybe he had to sneeze. Kuroo was pretty sure it was disgust, though.

“Anyway,” Kenma said after a long while. So long, in fact, that Kuroo lazily blinked his eyes open from being half-asleep. “What if it works too well? What if you meet someone that you want to pinch your butt and there you are, wearing your anti-pinch force field ring?”

Kuroo snorted in spite of (or maybe because of) Kenma’s super-serious deadpan delivery. “That’s not gonna happen,” he said with a small smile, eyes drifting closed again. Then, because he was too comfortable and too sleepy, he added, “You already said you wouldn’t.”

Feeling Kenma seize up underneath him, Kuroo’s first instinct was to jolt awake and immediately panic depending on Kenma’s expression. Instead, he feigned sleep. Playing dead was supposed to work with bears, maybe playing asleep would work against Kenma? Kuroo couldn’t help but feel there was a flaw in his logic somewhere but still, maybe it was worth a try.

  
Even accounting for the fact that Kuroo could pass out faster than anyone Kenma had ever seen, he knew there was no way that Kuroo was really asleep. 

What a jerk, saying something like that then just...leaving it there. 

Then again, Kenma didn’t really know what to say or do or ask or think. Hell, did Kuroo even know what he said? Or was it just usual Kuroo blather that didn’t mean anything?

Nah, that wasn’t right. Yeah, okay, Kuroo loved the sound of his own voice, but Kenma knew him well enough—too well—to know that even something that stupid was calculated.

He rolled his eyes. Leave it to Kuroo to turn a confession—is that even what this was? It was, wasn’t it? Maybe?—into a joke about his butt.

_I’m in love with an idiot._

Kenma’s character died and he scowled, taking a moment to scrub at his face and refocus before hitting “continue.”

_Then again, I knew the job was dangerous when I took it._

Distracted by his game, Kenma lost track of when Kuroo actually fell asleep. At least until choking on his own snore half-woke him.

“Kuro?” Kenma asked quietly.

“Mmm,” Kuroo replied ambiguously, rolling over to bury his face in Kenma’s middle and hug his arms around Kenma’s waist. With an obviously contented sigh, his breathing evened out once again into light snores.

Kenma just sighed in fond exasperation, pausing his game and pulling a blanket previously draped across the back of the couch and flopping it across Kuroo as best he could with his lap full of best friend/roommate/business partner/childhood friend/former teammate/secret love of his life.

“Go to bed if you’re tired,” Kenma muttered, staring down at Kuroo’s sleeping face. Sure, he’d seen it approximately a million times before but it was still worth a look. Yep: still dumb and annoyingly handsome. He reached to run his fingers through Kuroo’s freshly-washed hair (no way his fingers would make it through, otherwise) when he hesitated, hand hovering barely above Kuroo’s temple.

What if...what if he was wrong? What if he misunderstood? Social stuff— _romance_ stuff—was confusing and annoying. Annoyingly confusing. What if..?

But _this_ , Kenma thought as Kuroo drooled on his thigh before nuzzling further into his belly, wasn’t something “just friends” did. Okay, sure, it was easy to picture Shoyo or Bokuto doing something similar, but they weren’t normal. They didn’t count. Normal just-friends didn’t say they needed to recharge and hug you and snuggle into your lap. Normal just-friends didn’t tell you they’d let you pinch their butt and ask you to buy them a ring.

And don’t think that Kenma hadn’t just about choked when Kuroo threw that “my baby Kenma” line out earlier. Even if he had meant it more as an infant-baby than term-of-endearment-baby. Knowing Kuroo he was just testing to see if Kenma would notice.

Anyway, no, this wasn’t “normal,” Kenma decided, letting his hand close that last tenuous distance and he gently combed along Kuroo’s scalp. 

This wasn’t normal. It was way better than that.

Weeks passed without either one of them mentioning anything. At some point Kuroo thought maybe Kenma hadn't even been paying attention to his slip-up...or, if he had, forgotten about it or chose to at least pretend like he'd forgotten. When Kenma continued to act as if nothing had happened, Kuroo wondered if he'd even actually said that part out loud or maybe he had already been asleep and dreamed it. That he hadn't actually, albeit in a screwy, roundabout way, confessed to his best friend/roommate/business partner/childhood friend/former teammate/secret love of his life at all.

“What are you doing up so early? Wanted to see me off—” Kuroo frowned slightly as he walked into the living room, finishing snugging his tie. 

Kenma, huddled in a pile of blankets with just his head and hands out (so they could hold the controller, obviously) startled and blinked at him owlishly. 

“Kenma! You stayed up all night, didn’t you! Look at you.” Kuroo strode forward, grabbing Kenma’s chin with one hand, angling his face up so he could get a better look. “You’ve got big loops under your eyes.” With an exaggerated sigh, he let go of Kenma’s face and pressed his fingers to his own forehead in dramatic dismay. “My last words to your dear mother were a promise to make sure you ate your veggies and got plenty of rest. I swore on my life to look after you and I’ve _failed_.”

“Please don’t kill off my mom so easily,” Kenma said flatly.

“What? Those were my last words to her. When I talked to her last night. She demands a report at least once a week.”

Kenma rolled his eyes. 

“It’s not my fault your mom loves me.”

“It kind of is,” Kenma argued weakly. “Whatever.”

“Kenma.” Kuroo grinned, tone teasing as he draped himself over the back of the couch and across Kenma’s blanketed shoulders. “Is that your way of saying I’m lovable?”

“Definitely not,” Kenma grumbled.

Undeterred, Kuroo turned his draping into a loose hug. “You’re so tired your sassy remarks are lacking...sass,” Kuroo finished lamely. “Just look at you—your thumbs are practically moving in slow motion.” Another sigh, this one half-real and only half-dramatic. “I’m going to come home in a week and find you in this exact same spot, aren’t I? Wasted away to skin and bones in a pile of blankets, hands melded with your controller, eyeballs all dry and crusty from not blinking for five days straight,” Kuroo lamented.

Kenma snorted at that. “Maybe.”

“That’s it, I’m calling in and quitting my job. I’ll just tell my boss and all the carnivorous businesswomen that I apologize but Kenma simply cannot live without me—literally—and so I must—”

“Just let me get to a good spot to save and I’ll go to bed,” Kenma interrupted. He hit pause so he could actually look Kuroo in the eye. As much as he could with Kuroo’s chin on his shoulder, anyway. “Okay?”

“Promise?”

Kenma hesitated playfully, eliciting a squeeze and a squawk from Kuroo before he kind-of not at all giggled. “I promise.” Then, with a little smirk, “I don’t want you worrying about me when you already have your hands full watching your ass.”

Kuroo brayed a laugh at that, giving one last squeeze before standing. “Aw, you do care.”

“Not really,” Kenma said automatically, earning another laugh. More subdued, he asked, “You’re gonna be gone the whole week again?”

“Mm,” Kuroo hummed in agreement. “Why, you gonna miss me?”

“No.” But Kenma did sound a bit petulant. Maybe he was just tired.

“You will eat, right?” 

“Yes.”

“Actual meals?” Kuroo pressed.

Kenma hesitated. “Yes?” He tried again, sounding far less certain this time.

“Don’t make me demand you send me pictures of at least one real meal a day. And no photoshopping!”

“Fine,” Kenma sighed. “You’re gonna be late for your train if you keep nagging me.”

Kuroo looked at his watch. “Shit. You’re right.” Hurriedly putting on his shoes, he turned to yell goodbye toward the Kenma-shaped lump on couch only to find Kenma standing right there, still wearing his blanket around his shoulders but holding out Kuroo’s laptop bag.

“You almost forgot this.”

“Oh. Right.” Kuroo took it with an embarrassed, slightly crooked smile. “That would have been a real bonehead move.” 

“Appropriate for a real bonehead.”

“Thanks.” Kuroo chuckled. “Well, I’m off. Behave.” Predictably, Kenma rolled his eyes at that, causing Kuroo’s lopsided grin to widen. “Have a good week.”

“Hey. Um. Kuro?” Kenma said tentatively. 

Kuroo stopped mid-turn. “Yeah?” He asked, brows pinched in concern.

“Oh.” Kenma blinked. “It’s...um...it’s nothing. Nevermind.”

“Hey,” Kuroo stepped closer, peering into Kenma’s face with a slight frown. “What’s up?”

“You’re gonna be late,” Kenma said weakly, not making eye contact.

“Then you better hurry up and tell me what you were going to say,” Kuroo countered. “Because I’m not leaving until you do.”

Kenma glared at him for a second and in that moment Kuroo did worry that he might’ve accidentally triggered Kenma’s stubborn streak and that he would be late, standing in their entryway for the next three hours at an impasse.

But then Kenma sighed and his expression evened out. “I just...well...” In one surprisingly smooth motion, Kenma yanked Kuroo forward by his tie while simultaneously standing on his tiptoes, brushing a quick kiss to the corner of Kuroo’s mouth. “Have a good week,” he blurted in a quiet rush, wrapping his blanket around him and scurrying into his bedroom.

“O-kay,” Kuroo said to the empty room.

  
After tripping over nothing on the sidewalk multiple times and almost going to the completely wrong platform, Kuroo didn’t really know how he managed to survive getting on the (correct) train. 

But now that he was—he triple-checked, just to be sure—he stared at the floor, eyes slightly unfocused, as his hand touched the spot on his mouth where Kenma had—

Had _what?_

_What was that?!_

That...whatever _that_ was... _that_ thing that had definitely seemed like a kiss... _that_ had happened, right? 

No. 

It couldn’t have. 

Not really.

Not...really?

Phone in hand, Kuroo opened his messages, thumb hovering above the keyboard. In a flurry, he typed out:

_I just had the most realistic hallucination that you gave me a kiss goodbye. Funny, huh?_

But if...if _that_ had happened, wouldn’t Kenma just be annoyed with him for calling it a hallucination? 

But wait—if...if _that_ actually _hadn_ ’t happened, then wouldn’t Kenma still just be annoyed with him for implying that he wanted it to?

Grimacing, Kuroo deleted his message and stuck his phone back in his pocket. The message was a no-win situation if Kenma just got annoyed regardless. And Kuroo didn’t want to annoy him, since that might discourage him from ever doing _that_ again—

Assuming. Y’know. That _that_ had actually happened in the first place.

Feeling like he should ruthlessly mock himself for being a blushing maiden about the whole thing, Kuroo still couldn’t help touching his fingers to the corner of his mouth yet again.

No. _That_ had happened.

No matter how surreal and amazing and flabbergasting it was... _that_ had definitely, absolutely, totally, gloriously happened.

Kuroo clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud and making a scene on the train. Even if he could refrain from laughing, he couldn’t keep from grinning like an absolute idiot and he was already getting some pretty significant passive-aggressive side-eye from other passengers.

Clearing his throat, he reached for his laptop bag, digging around for something to distract him. Like, maybe, the info on the actual project he was working on. That might be a good idea, right? To brush up on that before his meeting like a responsible adult?

A strange envelope was wedged between boring, business-y black binders. Frowning slightly, Kuroo fished it out. It wasn’t at all familiar, something that he recalled shoving in there. At first he thought it must’ve fallen in somehow, by some weird accident at the office. Or maybe one of his many secret admirers like the butt-pinching ladies snuck it in there? Heck, there was even that assistant in their meeting last week that was always blushing and looking away when Kuroo caught him staring. How long had this been sitting in his bag without him noticing? 

Kenma certainly wasn’t the type to give a person a card—

Then again, until this morning, Kenma also wasn’t the type to give a kiss goodbye either.

Besides, there was something else in there, pooching out the envelope a little. Intrigued, Kuroo quietly ripped it open.

And couldn’t help a startled squawk when he dumped a ring into his palm.

Classy matte black with a red lining.

Black and red. His colors.

Wait.

_Their_ colors.

Folding the ring in his palm, heart racing, he opened the envelope and retrieved the note inside. His hand shook so badly he could hardly read Kenma’s tight, tidy writing:

_Anti-Pinch Force Field Ring_

_(+10 HP, +7 Def, +3 Cha)_

_Equip at your discretion*_

_*Once equipped, cannot be unequipped_

Kuroo blinked in confusion for a second before it registered. _Of course_. Even if he hadn't recognized the handwriting (though how could he _not_ ) this adorably nerdy love note (this was Kenma's idea of a love note, right?) from his adorably nerdy Kenma would've made it ridiculously obvious. Biting his lip to keep from smiling, he took a shaky picture of the ring in his palm and sent it to Kenma.

**You:** [image] ?!?!?!

**Kenma:** ?

**You:** What’s this?!

**Kenma:** Looks like a black zirconium anti-pinch force field ring to me

**You:** Zirconium?!

**Kenma:** Mithril was my first choice but it doesn’t exist. Beggars can’t be choosers.  
 **Kenma:** And by “beggar” I mean you. In case that wasn’t clear

**You:** It’s black and red!!!

**Kenma:** Sigh. Yes. I know what it looks like.  
 **Kenma:** I thought you needed something a little flashy. Even if that’s the part no one else sees

**You:** Wow, you put a lot of thought into this

**Kenma:** Not really  
 **Kenma:** ...  
 **Kenma:** Do you not like it

Kuroo put down his phone long enough to slide the ring on his finger and snap a picture. How it turned out mostly clear with him shaking as badly as he was, he didn't know, but it did.

In the meantime, Kenma had sent another text.

**Kenma:** Did I misunderstand and fuck up

Hurriedly, Kuroo fired off the picture of just his hand, with the ring around his ring finger.

**You:** I’m seriously crying on the train  
 **You:** Everyone’s doing that thing where they’re staring but pretending not to  
 **You:** I look like a total dork I’m crying and texting like crazy

**Kenma:** I’m totally laughing at you right now  
 **Kenma:** And you are a total dork  
 **Kenma:** But I’m glad you seem to like it

**You:** I love it  
 **You:** And I love  
 **You:** As soon as this train stops I’m turning right around and taking the next one home. So I can tell you in person

**Kenma:** Don’t do that  
 **Kenma:** Don’t come home, I mean. Not don’t tell me in person   
**Kenma:** I mean come home when you’re supposed to   
**Kenma:** You have to test out your ring and see if it works anyway, right?

**You:** Didn’t you promise me when I left that you’d get some sleep? Why are you still up?!

**Kenma:** You’re the one that texted me and now you’re mad I’m awake? 

**You:** Can I kiss you when I get home

**Kenma:** Zzz

For all of Kuroo’s grand fantasies about arriving home to an adorable Kenma and whisking him into a passionate kiss, life had other plans. Instead, he arrived home to a relatively quiet house because Kenma was still streaming in his office, just like he had been a couple weeks ago. Which left Kuroo plenty of time to shower and sit and fidget on the couch, also just like a couple weeks ago. Well, there had been less fidgeting then but—

“Oh, you’re home.” Kenma blinked at him in surprise as he stepped into the living room.

Kuroo stood, not really knowing why. Too much fidgeting and pent up energy, maybe. “Yeah,” he said, though the answer was obviously unnecessary. “I am. Home. Um. Stream go well?”

“Yeah...” Kenma said slowly. “As well as it can, I guess?” He frowned slightly. “Are we sitting down or were you going somewhere?”

“Huh? Oh.” Kuroo looked down at himself, as if he’d forgotten he’d changed into black shorts and t-shirt. Wait, should he have stayed in his suit? He had a suspicion Kenma thought it was hot, even though of course Kenma would never admit such a thing. Crap, maybe showering and changing had been the wrong decision? “No, I, uh...was waiting for you.”

“Well I’m here.” Kenma’s lips thinned as he tried to maintain his deadpan expression. “I know this usually goes without saying, but you’re being really weird.”

“You’re just being too normal!” Kuroo replied defensively.

Kenma cocked his head to the side. “Should I not be?” 

“No! Because we’re not! Uh, normal. Anymore.”

“I don’t think you were ever normal to begin with,” Kenma said wryly.

“Probably not,” Kuroo admitted. “Can I kiss you?”

Kenma’s nose crinkled a little. “You don’t have to ask,” he mumbled.

“Okay,” Kuroo said with a nod. Tentatively, he moved his hand to cup Kenma’s cheek. “I’m gonna.”

“Okay,” Kenma said, sounding a little frustrated and a lot embarrassed. His brow pinched the longer he waited. “I thought you were doing it?”

“I am,” Kuroo said defensively. “Just...give me a minute.”

“A minute? I have things to do.”

“Like what?!”

“Anything other than stand here for a minute.”

“I-I’m a little nervous, okay! Just—!” Kuroo set his jaw and swallowed. “Okay. I’m going to. I am.”

Kenma waited. “Now?”

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, okay? Don’t rush me.”

“You’re choking at the crucial moment,” Kenma said flatly. “Game-winning point and you’re blowing it.”

“Kenmaaa! You’re ruining the mood!”

Kenma laughed. “There is no mood! You ruined it already by being annoying.”

“A-annoying?!” Kuroo sputtered. 

“Yeah,” Kenma said, leaning forward, kissing the bottom lip of Kuroo’s open mouth. Instinctively, Kuroo closed his mouth just enough to kiss him back. A moment later, they found their rhythm, lips parting in sync, tongues meeting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if they were made to do this.

And, Kuroo thought as he pulled Kenma tight against him, maybe they were.

When they finally parted, slightly breathless, Kuroo still had one hand cradling Kenma’s face but didn’t really know how the other had snuck under his shirt and splayed firmly against his back. He stared down at those wide, gold eyes and was pretty sure he’d never felt happier.

“Still think I’m annoying?” he whispered with a smirk.

Kenma scowled playfully. “More than ever.”

Kuroo barked a laugh and kissed him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did actually research rings, and Kuroo's is based on [this one](https://manlybands.com/products/the-convertible) in case you were curious
> 
> Also, although this is not in chronological order, this story would theoretically fit somewhere in this series before [By Any Other Name](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27386110)


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I can't seem to write anything that doesn't end with bantering while rolling around in bed...here is the Totally Unnecessary Epilogue.

“Kenma,” Kuroo pleaded breathily. “Bedroom.”

Kenma startled, as if coming back to himself. “You were nervous kissing me but you’re not nervous to do _that_?” Fortunately, he didn’t pull far out of kissing distance. “I’m— It’s too soon...I’m not...”

“Me neither,” Kuroo assured him hastily, kissing hopefully reassuring kisses along Kenma’s jaw. “I mean, I’m ready when you are, but that’s not what I...” He gave up and sighed into the crook of Kenma’s neck. “Just...will you please just _touch_ me?”

Kenma’s aborted laugh blew across Kuroo’s ear. “I suppose.”

“I mean, I’ll return the favor—fuck, _please_ let me return the favor,” Kuroo near-whined even as Kenma’s fingers crept underneath his shirt and ghosted across his ribs. “Why are you so sexy?” he mumbled against Kenma’s neck, kissing erratically between words, breath hitching occasionally when Kenma swiped over somewhere extra-sensitive. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long. You have n-no idea. Or, you’re pretty smart, maybe you do, I dunno _o—ohgod_ why are you so good at this?” Kuroo huffed an embarrassed laugh. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted. Don’t judge me if I blow in my shorts before we even get to the bed—”

“Kuro,” Kenma said firmly, but Kuroo could swear there was a hint of amusement. “Shut _up_.”

“Can I kiss you?” Kuroo's lips brushed Kenma's, making the question near moot.

“Don’t ask every freakin’ tim—mmm.” 

With Kenma’s steady heartbeat under his left ear and Kenma’s ever-clicking buttons above his right, Kuroo smiled lazily, thinking this was happiness in surround-sound. Sated and content, he moved his thumb drowsily against the skin around Kenma’s bellybutton while Kenma played his Switch. Kuroo hoped he didn’t drop it on his face. Either of their faces.

“What is it with you and my stomach?” Kenma said after a while. 

“I’ve been wanting to touch it forever,” Kuroo admitted blatantly. He didn’t have to look up from his pillow of Kenma’s chest to know the nose-wrinkle of distaste he must be getting.

“I’m afraid to ask why,” Kenma muttered.

“Because you always keep it hidden away under all those shirts and hoodies and blankets and this whole time it was like buried treasure!” Kuroo heard Kenma’s snort under his left ear, felt the brief rise of his chest. Splaying his hand large to cover as much of that divine area as possible, Kuroo ran his hand across Kenma’s soft belly. 

“I’m feeling mocked.”

“No!” Kuroo insisted. “I’m dead serious! I can’t get enough of it.” To prove his point, he slithered down enough so he could scatter kisses across Kenma's belly, alternating teeth, tongue, and suction, enjoying how the skin goosebumped and the muscles jumped underneath his mouth. “It’s so soft and pale and mochi-like—”

Kenma tried kicking out a heel but it didn’t connect with much force. “Most people’s stomach’s aren’t chiseled from stone, you know,” Kenma groused. “You’re just a freak.”

“O-ho?” Kuroo turned his face (that was still on Kenma’s belly) to leer up at him, even if Kenma was still pretending to be looking at his Switch. “Well, for me being such a _freak_ ,” Kuroo’s emphasis left no doubt to how he wanted Kenma to interpret the word, “you sure know your way around a joystick.” 

The clicking of buttons stopped as Kenma stared down at him.

“You,” Kenma said, for a moment looking completely dumbfounded before bursting out laughing. “Are so dumb!” He thumped Kuroo on the shoulder.

With a mischievous grin, Kuroo kissed his way back up Kenma’s body, because well, why _wouldn’t_ he? 

“Hey, Kenma?” he asked, forcing his way between Kenma’s arms so he had to set aside his Switch. It was a gamble but fortunately Kenma placed it on the nightstand without protest. Now instead of holding a game, he was holding Kuroo. Pretty slick, if Kuroo could say so himself. 

“If you’re saying something stupid again I’m kicking you out—”

“I love you.”

Kenma’s lower lip pouted slightly as he scrunched up his face. “Don’t say something like that after making such a dumb joystick joke.” He scowled. “And saying my stomach is like mochi.”

“I mean that in the best possible way!” Kuroo half-laughed. “You can tell me you love me too,” he suggested.

“Don’t you already know,” Kenma grumbled, looking away. “I mean, I bought you a ring before we ever even...” His mumble lowered to something barely audible. “...like kissed or anything.” He frowned thoughtfully. “I guess maybe we did that kinda backwards.”

“Just a little,” Kuroo said with a smirk.

Kenma sighed. “Well, give it back, I guess. We’ll do it over.”

“No!” Kuroo clenched his fist to his chest. “My preciousss!”

With a groan, Kenma rolled his eyes. “I swear, you are so...” 

“Funny?” Kuroo supplied hopefully. “Witty? Sexy? Blessed with great hair and—what was the word you used? Chiseled abs?” Kuroo winked. “You wanna feel ’em? I’ll let you.”

“I can already feel them. You’re laying on me,” Kenma said flatly. “Such a dork.” Despite his exasperated sigh, he snugged his arms around Kuroo a little tighter and rested his chin on that wild nest of hair. “So, did it work?”

“Hmm?” Kuroo asked, being wrapped up in Kenma making him drowsy.

“Your anti-pinch force field ring. Did it work?”

“Like a charm,” Kuroo replied. He gave his hips a lazy waggle. “Now this fine ass is all yours, Kitten.” One of the hands on Kuroo’s back promptly pinched him. 

“That’s it, give it back,” Kenma said flatly. “Into Mount Doom it goes.”

“Nooo,” Kuroo laughed. “You’ll have to bite my finger off to get it back now.”

“If you insist,” Kenma warned before lightly chomping Kuroo’s neck.

“K-Kenma,” Kuroo groaned. “That’s not my finger.”

Kenma nipped a bit lower, adding a little suckle. “Are you complaining?” 

“N-no,” Kuroo breathed, even as he wriggled higher to give Kenma better access. “By—by all means, continue.”

To Kuroo’s absolute elation, Kenma _did_ continue and Kuroo was just wondering in the rapidly-vanishing rational part of his mind if he still owned any turtlenecks appropriate for work attire when Kenma suddenly pulled away.

“Kitten?” He looked at Kenma questioningly.

“ _Something_ is digging into—”

“My chiseled-from-stone abs, remember?” Kuroo asked innocently. He went in for a kiss.

Stopping him with fingers on his lips, Kenma stared back flatly. “That is _not_ your abs.”

Kuroo pretended to think, giving Kenma’s fingertips a little nibble. He was surprised when Kenma didn’t pull away. “Oh, right. That’s my joystic—Ouch ouch, Kenma! You’re crushing my handsome face!”

Sometime later, after yelps turned into laughing and face-crushing turned into tussling, then to tickling, then to soft touches and sweet kisses, worshiping mouths and beyond—

Anyway. Sometime _later_ Kenma burrowed his face sleepily into Kuroo’s chest and Kuroo hummed happily, losing count of how many times he kissed the top of Kenma’s head as he ran long fingers through silky hair.

“Kuro?” Kenma said tentatively.

“Yes, Kitten?” He felt Kenma’s nose twitch against his chest.

“Why do you call me that?” Kenma asked petulantly.

“Because I’ve always called you that,” Kuroo said with a grin. “You just didn’t know.”

“You’re embarrassing,” Kenma mumbled.

Kuroo laughed; he couldn’t really argue with that. “But you love me anyway, right?” he teased.

Kenma sighed heavily, hot breath against Kuroo’s skin. “I want to tell you but…I mean, you know, right?” Kenma looked up at him, then his gaze nervously flickered away.

“I do,” Kuroo said with a crooked smile. 

“I will…someday…it’s just…It’s so embarrassing,” Kenma grumbled.

Kuroo barked a laugh at that. “After all we just did, that’s what embarrassing? We’ve been rolling around in bed half-naked and all-naked for hours and my mouth has been all over your—”

Kenma slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t say it!” 

With another chuckle, Kuroo kissed Kenma’s palm before easing his hand down, intertwining their fingers. “I love you,” he said, smiling mischievously at Kenma’s pouty glare. “Am I allowed to say that?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kenma conceded in a mumble. “Except then I feel like it’s not fair if I don’t say it back.”

“Take your time. Say it when you’re ready.” Kuroo smirked. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Is that really okay?” Kenma asked skeptically. Then, muttering to himself, “Maybe I can practice while you’re asleep.” After several seconds of uncharacteristic silence, Kenma ventured, “Kuro?”

“Shh, I’m asleep,” Kuroo said, eyes closed, barely moving his lips. “So feel free to practice.”

Kenma snorted. “You’re such an idiot.” All the same, he leaned in slightly, lightly touching Kuro’s cheekbone. The other hand he cupped over Kuroo’s eyes, in case he decided to open them and ruin the moment. He licked his lips nervously before lowering them right next to Kuroo’s ear. So faint that it was more just a breath than even a whisper, “I love you.”

Hand still across Kuroo’s eyes, Kenma eased back just a little, waiting, but Kuroo didn’t respond. Sure, they both…exerted…themselves and were pretty sleepy, but he couldn’t actually already be asleep, could he? Curious, Kenma raised his hand and realized it was…wet.

“Are you crying?” he asked with an incredulous half-laugh.

“No,” Kuroo lied with a loud sniff. He pulled Kenma firmly into his chest and tucked him under his chin. “Absolutely not.”

Kenma’s body shook with silent laughter even as he nuzzled against him. “You are such a dork,” he said, smiling uncontrollably. “But that’s why I love you.”


End file.
